Heavyweight Derek Chisora is confident of victory over Otto Wallin in their 12-round ‘Last Dance’ event headliner fight on February 8th at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester, England.
Fans are put off by Chisora continuing to fight at 40, and they want him gone from the sport. Listening to him talk in slow motion, fighting like a rusty tin man, and soaking up punishment is hard for fans to watch. His promoter is giving him headliner status despite having 13 losses, and it looks bad having such a faded fighter occupying top spots that should be used for younger fighters who can entertain fans.
Chisora (35-13, 23 KOs) was supposed to be fighting Jarrell Miller, but ‘Big Baby’ had a reported promotional dispute that resulted in him not being able to take the fight.
That’s potentially bad news for the 40-year-old Chisora because he’s facing a younger and better fighter in 34-year-old Wallin (27-2, 15 KOs). Fighting the slow 300+ lb, slapping Miller would be ideal for Chisora, but the replacement, the highly technical 6’5 1/2″ Wallin, is all wrong for him.
This is Chisora’s 49th fight as a pro, and his last win over a true top-tier heavyweight came six years ago when he defeated Carlos Takam by an eighth-round knockout on July 28, 2018 in a clash that ended with a looping rabbit punch that felled the Cameroon fighter.
Before the eighth, Chisora was getting thrashed by Takam in a fight that wouldn’t have gone much longer if not for the eighth-round miracle comeback win. Since then, all Chisora’s wins have come against lesser fighters, many of whom are very old.
Chisora’s goal is to reach 50 fights, which he should easily attain, but not on favorable terms. He’s won his last two fights, beating 39-year-old Joe Joyce and 42-year-old Gerald Washington.
Those guys were shot to bits and were ideal opponents for Chisora. Wallin is not over the hill. He may have looked in in his fifth-round knockout loss to Anthony Joshua last year in December, but that was a fight he’d have lost at any point in his career. He didn’t belong in the ring with Joshua.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury gave Chisora a world title shot in December 2022 despite Derek having lost three out of the four previous fights. That move by Fury went over real well with fans.
“It’s more difficult. It’s a harder fight. I could take Jarrell Miller to the deep end and drown him, but with this guy, it’ll be very difficult,” said Derek Chisora to Box Nation about his fight against Otto Wallin on February 8th.
“I’ll get a victory, but it’ll be a hard victory to get,” said Chisora about Wallin.
“You do things when you are ready. Not when the TV wants you to do it,” said Chisora on his reaction to Anthony Joshua not taking the rematch with IBF heavyweight champion Daniel Dubois. “Joshua’s mindset is not right now, so he said he doesn’t want to do it now.”
